1955-D Repunched Mintmark RPM-014

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with the comment D/D East, the 1955-D Lincoln Wheat Cent RPM-014 is cataloged as UVC-539 with die marker record DMR-009. The D/D East designation indicates the initial D mintmark was placed too far west of its intended position, with the corrective second punch moving the final D eastward, leaving a remnant of the first impression visible to the west of the primary letter. Die stage progression is notable for its specific early-state documentation: Stage A features strong die scratches inside the 9 of the date at early die state (EDS) with the reverse already in late die state (LDS), Stage B is mid-die-state (unconfirmed), and Stage C is late die state (unconfirmed). The mismatched die state in Stage A — where the obverse is EDS but the reverse is already LDS — strongly suggests the reverse die was replaced before the obverse, a common mint practice when one die in a pair failed before the other, and the surviving die was re-paired with a newer replacement. The 1955-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner’s Lincoln portrait appears on the obverse, paired with the wheat ears reverse in its forty-seventh year — the penultimate year of wheat ears production. The 1955 date is famous in numismatics for the dramatic 1955 Doubled Die Obverse from Philadelphia, though this Denver Mint RPM represents a different class of variety entirely, documenting the manual mintmark application process rather than hub doubling. The strong die scratches inside the 9 provide an excellent screening marker for quickly identifying this die pairing.

Die Markers

• UVC-539
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• Strong die scratches inside 9 of date – EDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Paul Funaiole
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References